Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Government washing its hands on closure - mayor

The government's response to plans to close Doncaster Sheffield Airport has been to "simply wash their hands", a mayor has said.

The airport's owner Peel Group plans to wind down the airport from 31 October.

Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said on Tuesday it was up to Doncaster Council to try and "find a solution" to the planned closure.

But Doncaster's Labour mayor Ros Jones said the government had shown it was "not interested" in working to save it.

The transport secretary said in an interview with ITV that the government had been in discussions for several weeks, but it was up to the council to try and persuade Peel it had a solution.

She said Peel had run an "unviable airport for a number of years", but she hoped the two sides could have further discussions.

"At the moment it is between them. The local authority is the one that has the requirement to have that conversation," Ms Trevelyan added.

Ms Jones said: "I find it such a shame the response from the Secretary of State for Transport is to simply wash their hands of trying to save Doncaster Sheffield Airport."

While Peel Group had said the closure was due to a "fundamental lack of financial viability", Ms Jones said the decision had been made despite the council's offer to underwrite the losses to find a buyer.

"I completely disagree with the transport secretary and Peel. Doncaster Sheffield Airport can and should be profitable if managed and operated correctly."

Only two options remained to save the airport and the jobs of the 800 people who work there, Ms Jones added.

She said one option was for Peel to change its mind and accept the council's offer while a buyer was sought, and the other was for the government to nationalise the airport or intervene through the Civil Contingencies Act.

"It would appear that government are not interested in working with us to keep the airport open," Ms Jones said.

The prime minister pledged last week to do all she could to save the airport from closure.

Ms Jones urged Liz Truss to "honour her commitment, made on three separate occasions, to step in and help save Doncaster Sheffield Airport".

A Department for Transport spokesperson said the closure decision was "incredibly disappointing".

"We strongly encourage local leaders and Peel Group to work together and find a solution for the site which will benefit local people and the region's economy," they added.

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